FWIW, I don't think that's fair--particularly the imbalance between near-shoring rates vs. your local rates. It's odd, because it seems like the main reason to off/near shore is to save $$, so if they charge US rates, not sure why companies here would use them.

Anyhow, for the record, I would much prefer the same-rate-regardless-of-locale approach. My comments here are only to provide rationale for why companies don't do that, and why they're not likely to, until/if remote work becomes more of a norm (and thus the regional market becomes less of a thing).

And in general, I think developers, no matter where they live, are undervalued for what they do. It is one of the most highly-skilled, volatile-knowledge jobs in the world. But we're all up against market forces that work against being paid by value.

The near-shoring companies do charge a bit less, but the difference is negligible, specially compared to what the developer ends up getting. The major attraction factor these companies have is that they can supply you with experienced developers, located in your timezone that speak good english. So you can go from a team of 5 to a team of 25 in just a week, without having to vet the candidates yourself. That is why they can charge pretty close to what the 20 extra developers would cost them in net salary (they save in acquisition costs, training, hiring, etc. so the deal is still pretty sweet for them).

My comments here are only to provide rationale for why companies don't do that, and why they're not likely to, until/if remote work becomes more of a norm (and thus the regional market becomes less of a thing).

Thank you for the insights 👍

I think developers, no matter where they live, are undervalued for what they do. It is one of the most highly-skilled, volatile-knowledge jobs in the world. But we're all up against market forces that work against being paid by value.